Document holder or file.



No. 663,083. Patented Dec. 4,1900.-

B. KOLB. V DOCUMENT HOLDER 0R FILE.

(Application filed Aug. 28, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD KOLB, on BAMBERG, eERMAuY.

DOCUMENT HOLDER OR FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,083, dated December 4, 1900.

Application filed August 28,1900

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD KOLB, paper manufacturer, a subject of the King of Bavaria, residing at Bamberg, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Holders or Files for Letters and other Like Documents or Paper, of which the following is a fulland clear specification.

Letter holders or files as heretofore used have the objection that letters, cards, and the like kept in them must first be perforated and then fitted upon wires provided for them, which pass through the perforations- This perforation takes up time and in all cases injures the letters, making their numbering unreadable and the like. The holding of the letters upon the wires frequently leads to their injury by tearing.

The present invention has for its object a letter holder or file by which these objections are overcome, the letters or other papers being arranged upon supports, (marked with the separate letters of the alphabet) and being held when required by a plate which can be screwed down upon them.

My invention will be more fully understood taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming parthereof, and in which Figure 1 is atransverse section of the paperfile, showing a back plate, a screw stud hinged thereto,a plate for clamping the papers to be filed against the back plate,a'nd a handle and chain; and Fig. 2 is a top view of the said file. w

The improved letter holder or file consists of a sufficieutly-strong bottom support a, of pasteboard or other suitable material, upon which, at the center of one of its sides, a hinge b c d is fixed, the movable plate of which has fixed firmly upon it a vertical screwed wire or rod 6. Upon this screwed wire fits a corresponding nutf, which can be screwed up or down, and upon one side of the nut is formed or attached a radial horizontal rectangular plate or arm g, which in one position of the nut extends to some distance above the edge of the heap of letters or papers h, which are arranged upon the bottom support a and are separated into divisions by sheets or boards marked with the SerialNo.28,287. No modal.)

letters of the alphabet, each letter being assigned to aseparate division. \Vhen the nut fis turned around a quarter of a revolution, the arm g upon it is parallel with the back edge of the sheets 71., and its edge only presses upon and holds down the edge of the several letters or papers and of the upper board which covers them.

Upon the upper surface of the arm or plate carried by the nut is a hinge i, in which a curved wire handle or bracket 7t turns, this handle being held in its horizontal position when turned down by a spring m, fixed on the plate g. Upon the lower side of the curved wire handle 7.; is fixed a plate 12, having a number of transverse slits 0, into one or other of which the hooked end of a strip forming a holderp enterswhen the handle is in its horizontal position. To" the other or outer end of this holder p two chains or cords q are attached, which after passing over the pile of documents are brought down and fastened to the outer edge of the bottom support a of the apparatus, so that the letters,with their intermediate separating sheets or boards and the covering-board above them, can, by means of the holderp and the chains g, be all held firmly together. The holder can have lateral projections r on each side extending under the sides of the handle.

Upon the upper or top board above the pile of documents (which is marked with the letter A) a metal plate 8 is fixed on its inner edge to prevent it from being injured by the friction of the plate carried by the nut when the latter is turned around. For the same reason the chains may preferably be covered, partly or entirely, with leather or cloth.

The paper holder or file itself is closed at the back by material in folds, which enables the letters or documents to be inserted in the required number under each proper letter of the alphabet.

The method of using the holder or file is as follows: When letters, post-cards, and the like are to be placed in the holder, the handle is turned up, so that the hooked strip or holder 19 and the chains or cords q are released and the nut f can be turned around, so that any of the papers or the entire paper-holder can be removed. Afteriuserting fresh papers in their proper place (or removing them) the nut is raised or lowered by means of the handle until the plate upon it lies upon the pile,the handle is turned down, and the papers are all firmly held by the chains or cords and the hooked strip 19, which engages with one of the slits 0, in the plate 72 upon the handle it. If it is desired to refer to one of the letters or papers without removing it fromv the file, the nutfis turned around through ninety degrees, so that the edge only of the rectangular plate g upon it acts, and after any papers have been referred to the nut is turned backrto' its original position and the papers are again firmly held in the file without its having been necessary to first remove the entire paper-holder from its normal position in p the apparatus.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and curved wire or handle hinged to the said clamping-plate, a slotted plate on said handle, a spring tending to keep the said handle in a horizontal position, a chain secured to'the stiff back at two points, a holder movably fastened to said chain, and a hook on said holder adapted to enter any one of the slots in the slotted plate, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A paper-file comprising a stiff back, a stud-screw hingedto said back, a clampingplate adapted to move on said stud-screw, a slotted handle hinged to said plate, a holder adapted to engage with the slots of said handle, a chain fastened to said back plate and said holder, and means for keeping the handle bent toward the stiff back, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my handin presence of tWo Witnesses.

RICHARD KOLB.

Witnesses:

NEUM FRANK, CARL WEISS. 

